To compound their woes, the Filipinos were bracketed with the favored South Koreans, the touted Lebanese and the dangerous Kuwaitis in Group C of the 16-nation biennial tournament. These limitations further reduced their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of the event confined to players 18 years and under.
The Burlington socks management, headed by Pete and Ruddy Tan, president and general manager, respectively, are aware of the tough fight that lies ahead for the Johny Tam-mentored squad. That’s why they’re giving full support to the team hounded by unavailability of players due to the ongoing school leagues like the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
Only four players–Dylan Ababou, Michael Sy, Alvin Calatayud and Darryl Bautista–remained from the RP-Burlington Youth team that swamped the opposition in the SEABA (Southeast Asia Basketball Association ) Men’s Junior Championship in Lucena City last April.
Inserted into the lineup after two weeks of frantic search were University of Santo Tomas’ Jervy Cruz and Mark Angelo Canlas, Ateneo’s Diogenes Villame, Philippine College of Criminology’s Andrian Celada and Harvey Espiritu; San Beda’s Rodel Raneses, Perpetual Help’s Ram Panganiban and Mapua’s Led Joseph Claravall.